VT100 replica for use with PiDP-11

[Joe Pasqua]

I'm well into the creation of a replica VT100 for use with my PiDP-11. It consists of a 3D-printed case, a 5" display, a Raspbery Pi 3, and cool-retro-term to give that CRT flavor. I haven't desinged the keyboard yet, but my plan is to create a shell that resembles the VT100 keyboard and place a wireless handheld keyboard/trackpad into it. It will take me a while to get it done and cleaned up, but when I do, I will post the model on a model sharing site like printables. 

[Joe Pasqua]

Sorry to reply to my own post, but a couple of other things:

1. I did not break out a serial port. I am connecting to my PiDP-11 (and my Altair replica) via wifi
2. The dongles plugged into the Pi in the back are (1) a wireless keyboard dongle, (2) a wifi dongle because the wifi on this particular Pi is shot
3. The case is ~7.25" at the widest point,  5.875 at the tallest point, and 6" at the deepest point
4. The power switch on the back does not currently do a smart shutdown of the pi. You must shut it down normally then wait to power it off.

[Mike Kostersitz]

Sweet :) Looks good. Could you share the 3D printing files. I built one based of another project but that is a bit too big for the PiDP-11.

Mike

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From: pid...@googlegroups.com <pid...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Joe Pasqua <not.w...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 29, 2024 8:44 AM
To: [PiDP-11] <pid...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [PiDP-11] Re: VT100 replica for use with PiDP-11

 

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[Joe Pasqua]

Yes, I will definitely be posting the STLs as well as STEP files to make it easier for others to modify/enhance the model. I have a bit more work to do, but I will post again when the files have been uploaded.

[Lars Brinkhoff]

Good job!  It looks really nice, and is a very handy size.  I believe this is something like 4:10 scale, correct?  Michael Gardi's model is 2:3 scale, so considerably more bulky.  There's also Jeroen Domburg's model, which is decidedly on the small side.

I got a real VT100, and I'm happy to send over measurements and photos if you would like to tweak the model.

I wrote a VT100 hardware simulation that runs the original ROMs, and also has that CRT look.  It will not quite run in real time on a Raspberry Pi though, and I'm not sure why.  If someone knows how to do fast graphics on a Pi, I'm all ears.

https://hackaday.io/project/177596-23-scale-vt100-terminal-reproduction

http://spritesmods.com/?art=minipdp11&page=4

https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/terminal-simulator

[Peter Long]

Which Pi did you run this on - perhaps a reason for a Pi 5 ?

Thanks

Peter  

 

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[Lars Brinkhoff]

Peter Long wrote:
> > I wrote a VT100 hardware simulation that runs the original ROMs, and also has that CRT look. It will not quite run in real time on a Raspberry Pi though, and I'm not sure why. If someone knows how to do fast graphics on a Pi, I'm all ears.

> Which Pi did you run this on - perhaps a reason for a Pi 5 ?

I think a Pi 3. But I think the problem is in the software, not
hardware. Maybe how I use the SDL library, or something. I have seen
plenty of graphics intensive, full screen games that run fine on the
same model.

[Rene Richarz]

Lars,

Can you point us to the proper installation procedure for the SDL stuff on a Raspberry Pi? I would like to try your simulator  on the Raspberry Pi 5.

P.S. Graphics performance is sometimes a mystery to me. Tek4010 with fading works properly on my Raspberry Pi 5 as well as my Laptop based on a Raspberry Pi 3 compute module, but is much too slow on a Raspberry Pi 4.

[Lars Brinkhoff]

Rene Richarz wrote:
> Can you point us to the proper installation procedure for the SDL stuff on a Raspberry Pi? I would like to try your simulator on the Raspberry Pi 5.

Er, sorry for hijacking this thread! But anyway, I think it's
something like apt-get install libsdl2-dev libsdl2-image-dev... plus
probably something for OpenGL.

[Joe Pasqua]

>> I believe this is something like 4:10 scale, correct?

Yes, the original 18" width is scaled down to ~7.2". I'm going by the dimensions in the attached image.

I will definitely check out the VT100 emulator. That sounds great..

[Lars Brinkhoff]

Joe Pasqua wrote:

Yes, the original 18" width is scaled down to ~7.2". I'm going by the dimensions in the attached image.

Right, this drawing is what many people have used for their model.  Unfortunately, it's not entirely correct.  Hence my offer to provide more detailed measurements.

 

[Joe Pasqua]

Ah, good to know. Yes, I'd love to have the more detailed dimensions for reference.

[Lars Brinkhoff]

Here are some photos for starters.  I hope they are useful!

https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/terminal-simulator/wiki/VT100-details

[Lars Brinkhoff]

These are somewhat approximate.  It's difficult to measure where there are rounded corners.

[Bryan Cote]

Since we are sharing family pics :-)  Here is my vt-100 replica with my PiDP-8 and my PiDP-11 with a 3d printed case extension.

The VT-100 was from an Intructable article and included a bill of materials for the "guts." 

==Bryan

On Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 4:29 AM Lars Brinkhoff <lars.br...@gmail.com> wrote:

These are somewhat approximate.  It's difficult to measure where there are rounded corners.

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[Bryan Cote]

For reference:

https://www.instructables.com/23-Scale-VT100-Terminal-Reproduction/

[Joe Pasqua]

That looks great! This was my inspiration for making a replica. I wanted something a bit smaller so I went down to a 5" display.

The display I got is 800x480 which is a wider aspect ratio than I would like. I recently found a 5" display on AliExpress that is 4x3 (640x480). I ordered a couple which should arrive in a week or so. Assuming they work well, I will update my model to accommodate it. It's still not the same aspect ratio as the original, but it's closer.

[Bryan Cote]

Thanks!  I like the way yours integrates the Pi into the base. Much cleaner than the back of mine where the cables run in through an opening. That is something I would have liked to have done, but I was already challenged by having to slice and print the case in 12 pieces.  If I get a large format printer, I may try and tweak the authors design.

Have you settled on a keyboard that fits the scale?

==Bryan

[Joe Pasqua]

I have a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo that works. It's an Rii K06 (though I think the exact designation varies a bit). It fits into a keyboard shell as you can see in the pictures. It works well, but I have to remove the keyboard to turn it on/off since the power switch is on the left side. It just sits in the shell without fasteners, so I haven't found it particularly inconvenient.

[Marco]

Nice.

I have ben enjoying my replica for about a year now, it makes my whole retro computer setup so much more complete.

The Vt100 has a RPi 4. The keyboard is a RK68, which is only a tat too large but at least works and feels like a proper keyboard. The Vt100 and the keyboard is for me a good compromise between authenticity and functionality.

Marco

Op donderdag 7 maart 2024 om 19:52:38 UTC+1 schreef Joe Pasqua:

[Joe Pasqua]

That looks great!

[Joe Pasqua]

Well, believe it or not I finally got back to this project and created a second version with a different 5" display which I prefer to the original.  it is closer in aspect ratio to the real VT100 display and has better viewing characteristics. The model is published on printables and the assembly instructions are on GitHub. The instructions give a list of parts I used and some sourcing info.

As noted in the ReadMe, I'm the only one who has ever printed one of these. I've printed several to try and get the kinks out, but you should definitely consider yourself an alpha tester if you try it.

[Joe Pasqua]

A kind reader pointed out that the link from printables to a short video of the VT100 replica actually pointed to a video of a TRS-80 replica, I fixed that. If you’re interested, the link to the video is: https://youtu.be/ITlj2mHSaQM

Thanks for the heads-up Kristian.

[timr...@gmail.com]

I prefer to just use the real thing as I happen to have a VT102 sitting here.

[Joe Pasqua]

It's great to have the real thing!

[Mike Katz]

Joe,

Did you print with PETG or PLA or ???.

    Mike

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[Joe Pasqua]

I printed in PLA, but not for any reason other than it's what I normally use. I'll add that to the notes online.

[Joe Pasqua]

I've added an option to the model to use an 800x480 display that that Raspberry Pi mounts to directly. This obviates the need for an HDMI cable and the second supply voltage. The model is now live on printables with instructions on GitHub. Though it seems like a minor change, almost all parts of the model needed to change for one reason or another. The 800x480 display, which was requested by several builders, comes from is this one. The are other versions of this display that come with different branding but are effectively the same display.